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Montreal, City of Saints, Foie Gras, and All Things Good. After San Francisco we had this brilliant idea of saving money, but the more we thought about it, the more it didn’t seem right to skip our yearly pilgrimage to the foodie sin capital of Canada. So off on the bus we went one Saturday morning. We arrived at three in the afternoon, devoured as much as we could, and headed back home to Toronto the following Sunday.

Here’s what we did and ate:

3:30pm: Coffee at Café MyriadeWebsite | 1432 Mackay StCoffee, kaffe, kahve, is a must on the list. My favourite place in Montreal is Café Myriade.

After poutine was a little walk around la Parc La Fontaine, a livelier and less manicured version of Toronto’s High Park.

9:30pm: Dinner at Liverpool HouseWebsite | 2501 Notre Dame WestJoe Beef’s sister restaurant is the perfect mix of French bistro and British pub food. The dishes are seasonal, portions are beyond generous (though we were sad to learn we had to pay for bread), there’s some Pakistani influences (rabbit korma, tandoori cauliflower), and the restaurant is best approached with no set expectations. There are no paper menus, only a dark and intimidating black board of French text.

After one hour of analyzing the blackboard, we finally figured out what we wanted. Chicken liver and bone marrow tortellini in a broth full of fresh parsley. The smoked trout with roasted beets and a boiled egg that came with a mint sauce. The hanger steak, by far the best steak we’ve eaten, was tender. The housemade sausage stuffed with jalapeno and coriander came with clams and mussels over a salsa verde. But first, there were some cocktails – a bourbon sour and a summer concoction made with pineapple liqueur.

We wobbled out of Liverpool House a little bit after midnight.

11am: Brunch at Le Gros JambonWebsite | 286 Notre Dame WestSomehow the next day we managed to have brunch, and I have three words for you: BOURBON PEACH PANCAKES. Le Gros Jambon, by appearances, is good old American diner food. For breakfast: pancakes, fried chicken and waffles, huevos rancheros, and egg benedicts. Lunch are the heavy hitters: burgers, and, you know, because you’re in Montreal, why not some DUCK CONFIT BLT sandwiches?

DHC/ArtWebsite | 451& 465, rue St-JeanAfter brunch, we did something a bit more…cultural. DHC/Art is a free public contemporary art gallery in Old Montreal. We’ve gone to DHC/Art every year, and the programming just gets better and better. Cory Arcangel will be on show until November 24, a fun exhibition not to be missed!

2012 was the year I discovered bourbon, became obsessed with eggnog, bought shoes one size too small out of pride, tried hot yoga, and – drum roll please – ate a guinea pig in Peru. I had a few major downers, but the months passed and I’m feeling optimistic again.

Overall, I had a very good 2012 with so much to be thankful about. Leo and I ate lots of good food and travelled far. It can only get better!

We’re going to try to get better at this blogging thing. So, without much further ado…here are a few pictures from the past twelve months.

My group got to see a local chocolate maker’s atelier in one of the Sacred Valley villages in Peru. We tasted raw cocoa and drank chicha! The flower picture is on Fuji Pro 400H film using Leo’s Olympus XA camera.

I never posted the recipe, but one of the proudest things I’ve baked all year was this Coconut Swirl Bread. It was a visual fail, but the taste was incredible. It’s similar to a brioche in that both of them are enriched with eggs and involve lots of butter.

2012 was the summer of the ramen. (Top) Kinton Ramen, (1) Momofuku Toronto, (2) Sansotei Ramen, and (3) Santouka Ramen all opened within months of each other. We went to every one of them. Our favourite so far is Santouka. (Worth the line up?) Looking forward to trying A-OK Foods from Yours Truly and Raijin in 2013. Sodium content aside, too much ramen is a good thing, but how about some decent gyoza? – just saying.

All-You-Can-Eat sushi birthdays are the best. Even better? The generous amounts of dessert Ten-Ichi let us order. Before you judge, there was seven of us at the table. Best bang for your buck for AYCE…in Scarborough.

Hello

I'm Patricia and I live in Toronto. Despite being a picky eater, I love food. Sometimes I try to make things and they turn out okay. Unless otherwise noted, the photos on here are either mine or Leo's. The drawings you see are by him.

You can contact us at bhhblog [at] gmail [dot] com, but I respond faster via twitter [@notpeppermint].

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